Palin May Also Have A Pipeline To Nowhere

In addition to the myth that Sarah Palin said, “Thanks but no thanks” to the bridge to nowhere, Newsweek has the details about what has been described as Palin’s principal achievement as governor which may well wind up as the pipeline to nowhere.

At a cost of half a trillion dollars in Alaska taxpayer money, unless a deal can be made with Canadian Indian tribes, it could be years before the pipeline is built, if ever. The tribes, known as First Nation, say they haven’t been consulted and that they’ve been treated with disrespect by Palin and other pipeline proponents.

Palin’s advisers say they considered these risks before they committed state funds to the project earlier this year. The state hired Canadian lawyers, who produced a lengthy report warning about possible lawsuits and cautioning that First Nations in Canada’s Yukon Territory could be among the “most litigious.” The report estimated that the Indians could delay the pipeline for up to seven years. But Jeffrey Rath, a lawyer for First Nations, says this timetable is “wildly optimistic.”

Even Patrick Galvin, Palin’s revenue commissioner, says “there are risks associated with this project … Nobody has said that this project is absolutely going to happen, guaranteed.” Sounds like just what we need in Washington: fiscal responsibility.